Dear Cherubs, Bilbao discovered on Saturday evening that “a bit of rain” is a remarkably flexible phrase, as torrential downpours rapidly turned streets, shops and garages into temporary swimming pools. What began as an ordinary autumn afternoon ended with flooded roads, stranded residents and emergency crews dealing with hundreds of incidents across the city.

WATER RISES FAST

The worst of the storm arrived during the evening of October 3, when intense rainfall battered Bilbao and other parts of Bizkaia. The Basque weather service, Euskalmet, had warned that heavy showers and thunderstorms could develop during the afternoon and evening, with the situation later prompting an orange alert.

Initial reports from the Basque Emergency Coordination Centre put the number of rain-related incidents across Bizkaia at around 150 by 8:30 p.m., including 137 in Bilbao. But the numbers continued to rise as the full extent of the flooding became clearer.

By Sunday morning, Bilbao authorities had put the city’s total at close to 200 incidents, mainly concentrated between 7 p.m. and 9 p.m. These included flooded streets, premises, entrances and garages.

The historic Casco Viejo was particularly badly affected. Water reportedly reached knee height in some streets, while other reports described levels approaching 70 centimetres in the worst-hit locations. Some shops resorted to placing wooden boards across entrances in a rather desperate attempt to persuade the water that, actually, the business was closed.

ROADS, RAILS AND ALCANTARILLAS

The flooding did not politely remain inside Bilbao’s historic centre. Roads were affected across Bizkaia, while the tunnels at La Avanzada in Leioa were temporarily closed because of accumulated water. Problems were also reported in Getxo, Basauri, Galdakao, Sestao and Erandio.

Rail services were also disrupted, including a temporary suspension on the Renfe Cercanías line between Bilbao-Abando and Orduña, according to Deia. The weather had effectively turned ordinary transport into an exercise in strategic avoidance.

And what about the drainage system? Bilbao officials said the street drains were functioning, but the network became overloaded because more water was arriving than it could absorb. Authorities even took the exceptional step of diverting water directly into the estuary.

By around 11 p.m., reports said the water had largely returned to normal levels, allowing emergency crews and residents to begin the less glamorous phase of the disaster: clearing debris, moving containers and dealing with damaged belongings.

For readers who enjoy the stranger side of everyday news, science and real-world events, thisclaimer.com offers more explainers and stories in a similarly curious vein.

The storm was a sharp reminder that urban flooding does not necessarily require a river to burst its banks. Sometimes, the problem is simply an extraordinary amount of water arriving in an extraordinarily short period.

And when that happens, Bilbao’s streets can go from pavement to paddling pool remarkably quickly.

Sources list:
EFE — EFE report on the 150 incidents in Bizkaia
RTVE — RTVE report on the flooding and 137 Bilbao incidents
Europa Press — Europa Press report on Bilbao’s later estimate of nearly 200 incidents
Deia — Deia report on flooding, transport disruption and 137 initial incidents
Euskalmet — Basque Meteorological Agency forecast information
Thisclaimer — thisclaimer.com